Hi, I’m Dina Avila (ah-və-la). I know, it’s hard. I live in Portland, moonlight in LA and travel wherever my camera, itchy feet or assignments take me. I am obsessed with stories. I love collaborating and I especially love the exchange of energy and ideas on shoots. Whether the setting is commercial, editorial or simply on the street, cookbooks, lifestyle, or an intimate vignette you designed in someone’s home, I find that the best stories unfold when people are relaxed. I bring a calm, focused energy and collaborative spirit to my sets, offering a warmth to my shoots that allow people to ease into themselves as I capture their story or creation. I love stories and I want to tell yours.

I’ve lived in four states, including Hawaii and the great state of Texas where I earned a degree in Photocommunications from St. Edward’s University in Austin. I live in North Portland (aka Nopo) with my husband and our very large cat, and am currently studying French. Because, you know, it’s practical. Picking a favorite client is like picking a favorite food so some of my most recent clients (whom I adore equally) are: Delicious Australia, Brazi Bites, Sasquatch Publishing and Abigail Hall in the Woodlark Hotel.

I still can’t believe I won the James Beard Media Award for Visual Storytelling in 2016.